K Street and Congress

A useful piece from the Washington Post that discusses the current ‘horror’ of many K Street lobbyists at the inability by Congress to pass legislation that they had hoped to see:

The GOP-controlled Congress let lapse the Export-Import Bank charter, has repeatedly fought raising the debt ceiling and this year punted the passing of the annual highway bill to fund the nation’s infrastructure. It has repeatedly threatened to shut down the government over issues like Obamacare and Planned Parenthood, with House conservatives and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) following through in 2013.The GOP-controlled Congress let lapse the Export-Import Bank charter, has repeatedly fought raising the debt ceiling and this year punted the passing of the annual highway bill to fund the nation’s infrastructure. It has repeatedly threatened to shut down the government over issues like Obamacare and Planned Parenthood, with House conservatives and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) following through in 2013.

This is useful for students looking at the failures of checks and balances resulting in a shutdown, or at least potential shutdown, which clearly has an impact beyond just political bubble of Washington DC. It is also useful for the Interest Groups topic of Unit 3 and a good example of the role of lobbyists and how they work with Congress. Lastly, useful for Unit 4 Congress looking at the importance/role of leadership within Congress and for Unit 3 parties looking at their role within Congress and furthering the impact of the Freedom Caucus in the GOP.